Consolidating some of my river finds revealed this fun collection of soap-bubble wands all found within the Falls of the Ohio State Park. This is many years worth of walking the riverbank and sampling choice bits of plastic and other displaced objects. All the bubble wands I’ve found thus far are made of plastic. Most of these wands were sold inside plastic bottles filled with prepared soap-bubble solution.
Simply dip the wand into the soap bottle. Remove the wand allowing a film to form over the loop. Then gently blow air through the soap film and bubbles should result. With this found wand lot however, the bubbles probably wouldn’t be very big or long-lasting. The soap-bubble wands you can fashion at home with common materials (along with creating your own bubble mix) can produce spectacular results. These wands were more than likely lost by kids playing near the river. I’m frequently amazed by the variety of design solutions intended for such a throw away item. I mean who holds on to these wands to reuse once the bottle is empty? I did find some novelty items in the mix. Check these examples out.
Here are two mini soap-bubble nuptial wands. These are usually in tiny plastic bottles left on the guests’ tables. Blowing bubbles on the newlyweds frequently substitutes for the traditional rice throwing send off.
I also found these two soap-bubble pipes. Personally, I’ve never had much luck making bubbles with pipes.
This novelty didn’t look good in the frame, but it is one of the nicer soap bottle with wand items I’ve found. This fake ice cream cone also has that black river patina suggesting it was out floating around for years before I came across it on these fable Falls shores.
I have a couple of wands that aren’t soap-bubble wands, but since they are wands nevertheless…I keep them in the collection. The Star Wand is more than likely from a princess costume or magician’s outfit. The other wand is perhaps more of a plastic scepter. Originally, the handle lit up with a colored light. Again, more disposable plastic items. I’ll keep walking the riverbank a little while longer and I’ll bet I find a few more of these objects to add to the river collection.
Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog 
Dang- that’s quite a collection! I love the ice cream one. 🙂
Thanks B. they were all found in the park. The ice cream cone piece is my favorite too.
Hi.Al,
Love the ‘frame’ for some reason. All those lost bubbles that have passed through all those plastic hoops….day dreams.
Glad you appreciate what these wands present. To me, these objects recall joyful moments and the fragility of life as represented by something as perfect and flimsy as a bubble. Ultimately, all the bubbles are burst. The frame was found as well, but not at the Falls of the Ohio. In Louisville during heavy trash pickup days…I’ll wander the back alleys near my home looking for “treasure” and this is one of two picture frames I picked up from the side of the road.
You have a wonderful ‘process’, Al.
Yeah a lot of burst bubbles all around.
That was great! About 10 years ago, all my work-friends were smokers. When they’d go out for their smoking break, I’d take my little pen-shaped bubble wand and blow bubbles.
http://teagansbooks.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/bubbles-of-what-if/
Hi Teagan…did this help any of your co-workers become ex-smokers? Thanks for checking out my bubble wand collection!
Amazing!
Hi Artist at Exit – I have just found your blog while doing some research for our beachcombing group in Cornwall UK. The group is called Beachcombing’s Bizarre and Beautiful, and although we don’t have a website we do have a face book page (same name). Your article and photos here are really fascinating – bubble wands are frequently found on our beaches and this week a bit of synchronicity was at work across the Atlantic Ocean. A green crown topped wand was found on our beach in Marazion, Cornwall and then two days later an identical one at Kill Devil Hills North Carolina. ( By their beachcombing group Ocean Watch OBX). I then discovered more identical wands in your artwork & photos (in yellow and pink too). We are intending to share this little piece of strangeness with our followers and I shall also include a link to your wonderful blog which I shall now follow with avid interest! Best wishes, Jan x
Thanks Jan for reaching out. It is amazing where the stuff of the world ends up. Since my bubble wand post…I have found many more and you remind me that I need to update. Looking forward to learning more about your group. Cheers!
Will look forward to the update! 🙂